The present invention comprises a document rack attached to a fore or front side of a document validator to receive and retain documents discharged from the document validator.
Typically, automated bill handling machines such as vending machines, ticket machines and bill exchangers today utilize a bill validator that has its functions to discriminate authenticity of bills slipped into an inlet of the validator, to stow the bills considered genuine into a stacker provided in the validator and to return to the inlet the bills considered counterfeit. When the bill is returned to the inlet, it is kept at the inlet with the bill whose leading edge partly projects outward from the inlet to allow users to thoroughly draw the bill out of the inlet, otherwise the bill is wholly discharged from the inlet on a tray provided in front of and adjacent to the inlet of the vending machine.
Japanese Patent Disclosure No. 2002-99943 by I. Amari et al. discloses a currency handling apparatus that comprises a casing formed at the upper portion with an inlet for receiving bills within the casing and an outlet for discharging bills from the casing, a deposits/withdrawals unit disposed at the upper portion within the casing, a base unit disposed at the lower portion within the casing, and a plurality of intermediate units disposed between the deposits/withdrawals and base units. The deposits/withdrawals unit comprises an introduction mechanism provided with a validator for introducing bills from an insertion opening at the inlet into the validator to discriminate denomination of the bills, a discharge mechanism for carrying bills to a payout opening at the outlet, and a first conveyor mechanism of forward/reverse drive selectively connected through a first switch device to the introduction or discharge mechanism to convey bills along a passageway. The base unit comprises a first stacker, a second conveyor mechanism of forward/reverse drive for carrying bills toward and away from the first stacker, and a first take-in/take-out mechanism of forward/reverse drive for receiving and removing bills between the first stacker and second conveyor mechanism. Each of the intermediate units comprises a second stacker, a third conveyor mechanism of forward/reverse drive for carrying bills toward and away from the second stacker, a second take-in/take-out mechanism of forward/reverse drive for receiving and removing bills between the second stacker and third conveyor mechanism, and a second switch device for switching the conveyance direction between the third conveyor mechanism and second take-in/take-out mechanism.
Japanese Patent Disclosure No. 2004-224476 by A. Isobe, et al. demonstrates a document handler that comprises a conveyor for transporting along a passageway a bill inserted from an inlet, a discriminator for discriminating the bill moved by the conveyor, a refuge area connected to the passageway for receiving the bill out of a detectable position by the discriminator, and a conveyance controller for controlling the drive of the conveyor to deliver to the refuge area the bill considered false and to return the bill from the refuge area to the detectable position by the discriminator for revalidation of the bill's authenticity.
Japanese Patent Disclosure No. 2003-242553 by S. Murai, et al. exhibits a bill handler that comprises an inlet assembly attached to a front side of a handler casing, a frame attached to the front side of the handler casing to surround the inlet assembly, and a front cover attached to the front side of the handler casing to cover and guard the inlet assembly and frame.
Japanese Utility Model Disclosure No. 4-12075 by A. Tomie represents a device for throwing bills into a vending machine that comprises a door provided at the front of the vending machine, a bill slot formed at an opening on the door, a cover for opening and closing the bill slot, a bill validator disposed within the door, a bill guide provided between the bill slot and bill validator, and a spring disposed between the bill guide and a damper supported by the bill slot.
Bill validators shown in these prior art documents are disadvantageous because none of them can collectively retain bills discharged from the validators while preventing scatter of the discharged bills.
An object of the present invention is to provide a document rack for receiving and retaining documents discharged from a document validator to prevent scatter of the discharged documents and their contamination resulted from the scattering. Another object of the present invention is to provide a document rack that may be detachably attached to prior art document validators. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a document rack for collectively receiving and retaining valuable documents considered genuine and yet reusable by and dispensed from a document validator.